This excerpt from the opening free-metered section of U Ko Ko's performance of the song type, "Dein Than" in the athan, Myinzaing, shows the complexity of his performance as well as the difficulty in computer aided transcription. The sections in which the performance moves away from a precise synchronization with the pulse appear in the transcription as minute sub divisions of the rhythm. Note in particular from measure seven onwards. For purposes of making the transcription easier to read, I doubled the rhythmic duration of all the notes in this example.
To look more closely at the example, Myinzaing: "Dein Than", the playing begins in the free -metered style (83k.) and then changes to fixed-but-flexible meter (130k.)at the begining of the main composition, the point at which the formal pattern of the "Dein Than" itself begins. In this example of playing in the fixed or flexible rhythmic mode, the consonant harmonized sounds are blended into the fabric of the performance. Here (see example below), rather than the clear simple style heard in the playing of "Pachain Lei" or the Nat Song, the basic two-part pattern is more richly varied. Here we can see the basic two-part pattern (indicated here by the bold note heads) embroidered by the fill in passages.
email to rgarfias@uci.edu
last updated 5 November 1995